


The Doppelganger

by psychicScavenger



Series: Hello Officer~ [12]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Dubious Consent Due To Identity Issues, First Fight, Fluff and Angst, Gun Violence, In a way, Kuro is an ass in this beware, M/M, Oh no we have two gregs to deal with, Secret Identity, Self-Mutilation, Sexual Harassment, Unwanted attention, halloween setting, identity theft is not a joke jim, masturbation mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-09 01:59:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16440863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychicScavenger/pseuds/psychicScavenger
Summary: With Shiro busy in the city, mostly on the lookout for a notorious jewel thief and master of impersonating others, Lance runs into a friendly new bar companion who may not be as friendly as he assumed...The archive warnings are mostly just precaution, there will be a little violence and some dub-con in this but nothing super serious! This story still has the same elements of my previous Hello Officer~ fics, just slightly darker. Takes place during the events of the last chapter of the Hello officer oneshots before Lance and Shiro move in together.Also, Happy Halloween fellow Shancers, enjoy!





	1. Kuro

**Author's Note:**

> doppelgänger: a look-alike or double of a living person, sometimes portrayed as a ghostly or paranormal phenomenon and usually seen as a harbinger of bad luck.

It was a cold night at Sal’s, the frost creeping on the windows, giving the outside world a bleary, somber feel. Any other time, this would be depressing, but with Halloween right around the corner, it brought excitement and mystery of the unknown. For Lance, Halloween was one of those magical holidays, maybe even more so than Christmas! Lance watched as the cheery orange lights outside flickered repeatedly, trying to advertise the warmth inside the bar with promises of food and drink that will also warm your insides. Lance sighed, recalling all those years when he used to dress up as a kid, going trick or treating with his bickering siblings at first until he was old enough to go with friends his own age for a couple of years, when they all 'matured' and decided getting shit-faced at Halloween parties was way more fun instead.

Of course, considering he had only been in high school at the time, he didn't truly know what shit-faced was until he went to college and proceeded to get blackout drunk at a frat Halloween party while dressed up as the blue Power Ranger.

Yeah he had to throw that helmet away in the end.

Now that he was out of college, Halloween could probably be perceived as boring in a way. He was too old to do the things he used to do and he was certainly too young to invite himself to the swanky adult parties most of the parents in this town hosted, where they played old classic Halloween music and chomped on candy corn while discussing whose child was the best. Sure, Lance didn't mind the taste of the candy, but he wasn't going to inhale that shit for the entire month of October.

Turning back to his drink, a spiced apple cider with a shot of rum in it, Lance began humming to the tune of the whiny rock song that came out, ideas on how to spend his first Halloween with Shiro running through his mind. This was their first Halloween as a couple and Shiro had already asked for time off that day, much to Lance's persistence that he do so, giving him plenty of ideas on how to spend the holiday.

'We could either go to one of those haunted houses or trails, but I also don't want to put Shiro in that kind of stressful environment, they always go overboard with the smoke, the strobe lights, and the chainsaws...Oh! We could go for a romantic hayride! It will be just us, snuggled under some blankets...with like twenty other people. Okay not romantic, never-mind. Unless we go on a zombie shootout, that would be super fun! Although, that also might be crowded and it would be super cold.' Lance shivered as someone opened the door to the bar, letting the outside chill in, several disgruntled customers voicing their irritation as the door was quickly shut. Lance took a sip of his drink, sighing at the warmth that spread through his body.

There just didn't seem to be any good ideas..really Lance should've planned this earlier but he had been so distracted! With Nordstrom busy as ever with their damn sweater sales for this Fall season while pushing advertising for Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales was driving him insane! He needed a new job, like yesterday.

Lance hunched over sighing. Maybe he'd just take Shiro to Shay's Halloween party and afterwards..they could watch movies and makeout? Lance perked up, remembering the way Shiro's lips felt against his, bringing a different kind of warmth this time as he slowly smiled at the thought of them curled up on the couch, some horror flick on in the background with Takashi's hands wandering lower and lower until-

"Uh..are you okay?" Lance hummed until he realized with a flustered gasp where he was, quickly excusing himself as he shook off the dirty images in his mind before he faced the stranger, who so rudely interrupted his wonderful daydreaming. Before Lance could harshly scold the newcomer, he paused glancing the man over in his dark leather jacket, REAL leather mind you, his dark jeans, the boots and the messily done up plaid shirt underneath. The man's hair was long, dark as midnight, even longer than Keith's mullet wearing ass. Lance gaped as he gazed into the dark eyes that bore into his own, a smirk on the stranger's face as he waited patiently for Lance to answer.

"Uh, I'm sorry, uh what?" Lance intelligently replied, blushing as the handsome stranger chuckled.

"I asked if you were ok...You were staring at the specials chalkboard like you were smitten with it." The man replied taking a seat next to Lance at the bar, ignoring the blinking purple and red lights in front of him as he was too awed by the way the younger man before him glowed under soft lighting.

"Oh! Hehe, yeah sorry, I was just thinking is all." Lance replied, an embarrassed flush to his smile that had the stranger leaning closer to him.

"Oh? Something troubling you?" The man asked, a slight arch to his eyebrow as he waited patiently. Lance hesitated unsure if he should even talk to this stranger about his issues but at the same time, he loved showing off his handsome boyfriend to others. Especially that bitch Rhonda-from-work's face. Yes it was a miracle Lance could grab a total snack like Shiro, but did it really need to be pointed out so often? 

"Well nothing troubling, I was just thinking about my boyfriend! This is our first Halloween together as a couple!" Lance announced happily, not seeing the slight dip in the smile the stranger gave him.

"Well congratulations then. Are you two dressing up?" He asked, taking a swig of his beer as Lance gushed in his seat from happiness. Finally, a kind soul who wants to hear about his cute couple costume!

"Oh we're going to be so cute! You see, I started this nickname for him back when he was first living here! I called him Batman so I thought this year, he could go as Batman and I would dress up at Catwoman, or well, Catman technically. Doesn't that sound cute?!" Lance asked, quickly whipping out his phone to show this handsome stranger their costumes when he stumbled upon a picture of Shiro. He stared at it for a few more seconds, smiling as he recalled the night he took the picture.

It was the night before Shiro left town to move back to the big city, in honor of his boyfriend Lance had performed at Sal's, singing a few of Shiro's favorite songs. This photo was caught by Hunk who successfully captured the wistful look Shiro held as he watched Lance perform that evening. Lance smiled remembering their little sleepover that night. There was so much passion in the way Shiro held him, touched him, and kissed him. The memory of that evening brought on a new blush to Lance's cheeks. Quickly hiding behind his hand before the stranger next to him could comment on it.

"Here's a picture of my boyfriend actually. Isn't he cute?" Lance cooed, smiling at the picture whilst showing the man. The stranger hummed his approval, especially giving the photo a studious look over before sitting back up and giving Lance an appreciative smile.

"He's certainly a looker, thats for sure. I'm not surprised someone like you managed to score him." He stated, taking another swig not seeing Lance's shocked expression.

"Really? Normally people see it the other way around, like its hard to believe Shiro would like someone like me." Lance admitted, a bit shy for stating that out loud. The stranger frowned in response, before shrugging it off.

"They must need glasses then. You're incredibly pretty with those blue eyes, dark hair, and that voice could even coax fish to leave the sea." He stated, chuckling as Lance gave him a questioning look.

"How did you know I sing?" Lance asked.

"I've seen you perform a few times now. I've been drifting in this town for a few weeks. I'm about to leave in a few days though." Lance nodded understandingly, until a sudden thought came upon him.

"You know, we've been sitting here for well on twenty minutes now, I'm sure my Mama would kick my ass for my lack of manners!" Lance exclaimed, giggling at the stranger's confused expression. Lance stuck his hand out for a handshake, smiling as the stranger kindly returned it.

"My name is Lance McClain, it's been nice chatting with you!" A slight blush formed on the strangers cheeks, he couldn't help that the smaller man before him was just so damn cute and innocent, it almost made him feel guilty for abusing that earnest trust.

"Ryu Kurogane, but you can call me Kuro." He smiled, a hint of mischief behind it that went undetected by Lance.

"Nice to meet you Kuro! Thanks for listening to me rant about my boyfriend." Lance sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, obviously embarrassed by Kuro waved him off.

"Nonsense. I admire your spirit and how much you love this man. How about you show me more pictures, I can give you a ride home later if that's alright?" Kuro asked smiling as Lance eagerly nodded.

"Sure! Oh let me show you this picture I have of him, it was a slow day at work so Shiro came by to visit me and have lunch! It was the sweetest gesture ever! He even bought me a Cinnabon! Here's one of him trying out this sweater I got him for his birthday..oh! Here's one I took of him on his birthday, he's not a fan of surprises actually, I am a little surprised he didn't punch me when I popped out of the box like that.." Lance continued to rant on for a little while, explaining every little story behind each photo that had him quickly forgetting the time until it was soon close to ten and Kuro's alarm went off. Kuro quickly apologized, with Lance glancing at the clock and jumping to his feet as he saw the time. He was late to call Shiro!

"Holy smokes! I have to get home!" He cried out, quickly reaching for his wallet to pay his tab when Kuro just placed a hand over his, making him pause.

"Don't worry I got it. I also said I'll take you, remember? I'm sure my motorcycle is faster than walking." He smiled giving Lance the impression if he crossed his eyes enough, he could see shoujo sparkles flying around Kuro's angelic face. 

"That would be great! Thanks!" Lance thanked him. He patiently waited as Kuro paid off their tabs, grabbing his coat before they headed out the door. 

 

*********

 

After the chilly ride was over, Lance unwound his arms from around the man’s waist, shivering once again from the cold as he left Kuro’s side to stand awkwardly on the sidewalk. Kuro propped his motorcycle on the kickstand, getting up himself which reminded Lance how much taller he was than him.

“So this is me. Thanks again for the ride by the way.” Lance thanked, shuffling in place as he looked away from the intense gaze Kuro was giving him.

“Of course. It’s pretty cold out here tonight, no-one should have to walk through this alone..or be alone for that matter.” He stated, eyeing Lance who stared back confused.

“Huh? What do yo-mmphf!” Kuro quickly bent down to kiss Lance’s lips, surprisingly gentle despite the speed of it. Kuro loved the warmth of those lips pressed back against his, reaching with one arm to wrap around Lance’s waist when the other started squirming impatiently. Lance shook his face to stop the kiss, staring at Kuro with wide, shocked eyes. Kuro thought he looked so cute, his wide eyes looking so child-like and alarmed as they peered up at him from under his beanie hat.

“What was that about?” Lance demanded, one gloved hand reaching up to cover his lips as if Kuro was going in for another sneak attack. Kuro scoffed.

“Oh come on, its the end of the night, I took you home..you’ve been flirting with me the whole evening.” Kuro explained, leaning in to cup Lance's cheek, chuckling when it was swatted away as Lance frowned up at Kuro.

“And what makes you think I was 'flirting'?” Lance asked, trying to do the air quotations in his mittens while looking pissed but he just reminded Kuro of an angry kitten.

“Aww Kitten, don’t be angry.” He teased, stepping forward, he still had one arm around Lance’s waist, he could easily swing this man onto his shoulders if need be but Lance stepped away, slapping his arm off in the process, angrier now that Kuro had used Shiro's petname on him.

“Don’t touch me! I told you I have a boyfriend back at the bar! I even showed you his pictures for crying out loud!” Lance exclaimed, giving Kuro his fiercest scowl he usually reserved for the bitchiest of customers at Nordstrom, but this guy definitely warrants the look as well.

“He doesn’t have to know.” Kuro smirked at the surprised look that appeared on Lance’s face. “I know you’re desperate for some action tonight. Someone to share a bed with, make you feel warm and good. Why isn’t your boyfriend here to do that with you? Seems a bit douchey he’d take a job back in the city and leave your fine ass here alone, unwanted.” He pointed out as Lance glared at him.

“Seems a bit douchey to still try to get with a taken man after he’s told you no.” Lance fired back which had Kuro laughing of all things! Lance sighed, this was not how he wanted this night to go and he still needed to call Shiro. How would he even bring this up?

“Look, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression,” Lance began. ‘Though I doubt I gave you the impression to begin with,’ he thought petulantly as Kuro waited, an unreadable expression on his face. “But this isn’t going to happen. Not tonight, not tomorrow, not anytime. I love my boyfriend more than anything, nothing could tear us apart. Now thank you for the ride, have a good night.” Lance finished. He quickly marched away from Kuro, feeling eyes on his back the entire time. Lance shivered hoping Kuro thought it was from the cold and not because of him as he raced up the steps. As Lance turned the corner he felt some relief now that Kuro’s eyes weren’t focused on him but it wasn’t until he unlocked the door to his apartment and quickly dashed inside the warm room that he felt a little better. Lance sighed, taking off his scarf and his hat before quickly turning around and locking his door, just as an extra precaution.

Once Lance had settled, removing most of his outdoor clothing, he settled back on the couch, and began dialing Shiro’s number. Lance wasn’t sure if he should mention the whole ordeal to Shiro or not. The man was already stressed from the recent case they’ve been given and Lance hated adding any other kind of stress to Shiro’s life, but he didn’t want to leave Shiro out of this, he deserved to know Lance had kissed another guy, not by his own volition, but it was still a kiss. Lance sat back as he waited, deciding even if nothing happened, he needed to tell Shiro. It was the right thing after all!

_“Hello?”_

“Shiro! Hey! I just wanted to tal-”

 _“Oh Lance, hey! Um, I’m sorry for not calling earlier, I’m really swamped right now. This case has everyone working overtime, I don’t have time to talk now actually.”_ Lance felt himself grow hollow, he swallowed hoping he could keep the sadness out of his voice as he spoke,

“Oh no problem..I just wanted to tell you-”

_“Lance, I’m really sorry but I really can’t talk now. I’ll call you tomorrow, I promise ok?”_

Lance felt his heart stopped. He knew he shouldn’t be taking it so personally with Shiro back in the city and more busy than ever, but he also really wanted to speak with Shiro, given he hadn’t heard from him in three days and all..

“Yeah sure. Sorry for bothering you then.” Lance apologized, not holding back on the sadness in his tone this time. He heard a lingering sigh until Shiro’s soft voice spoke, sounding a bit more apologetic.

_“No I’m sorry Lance, I’ve been very distracted lately and it’s not fair to you. I promise I’ll call you tomorrow, and we’ll actually talk then ok?”_

“Yeah..sounds good. Good night Shiro, love you.” Lance spoke a small smile on his face as he waited for Shiro’s response.

 _“Love you too. Good night.”_ The call immediately cut off, leaving Lance feeling like he’d been dismissed. He sighed, putting his phone away as he got up and wandered, trying to keep the disappointment at bay. He was unsure what to make of their..could he even call it a conversation? Shaking his head, Lance tried to fight off the negative thoughts, he was being self-centered about this. Of course Shiro loved him, tonight he was just busy is all. As Lance drifted towards the balcony, he noticed a figure outside, leaning against a familiar motorcycle, smoking a cigarette.

Lance watched as Kuro took a long drag, eyes on Lance the entire time until he lifted a hand and gave him a subtle wave.  Chills crept down Lance’s spine and he shivered before ducking away from the window. Hopefully he would leave soon, he didn’t want to entertain the thought of calling someone to ask Kuro to leave, he wasn’t that kind of person to do such a thing; but as he got ready for bed, he couldn’t help but feel like Kuro was still out there. Waiting. 

 

                                                                                             **********

 

Kuro smirked as he watched Lance duck away from the window after spotting his little wave. He’d have to leave soon otherwise some nosey resident would call the cops, say he was a suspicious character loitering outside the building, up to no good.

They would be right, but still.

Finishing off the last bit of smoke on his cigarette, he threw it to the ground, snubbing it out before climbing his bike and kickstarting it. For fun, he revved the engine loud, hoping it woke up a few of these small town squares and maybe tease the wide eyed beauty he dropped off. With a chuckle, he watched a few lights flick on, even seeing Lance peer out the window at him before he took off down the street, away from view. He’d be back soon enough for that fine piece of ass, in fact meeting Lance was probably the best thing that ever happened to him since he arrived in this shit town.

With the added chill from the drive, Kuro raced down the road, not caring about the sleepy town now winding down from it’s so called night-life as he headed for the motel he was currently staying in. This was supposed to be a stop along the way as he fled the city, but maybe he’ll stay here just a bit longer.

He had found the perfect disguise after all.


	2. The Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love everyone! Get ready for the anggssstttttt!!!

Shiro sat at his desk, filling out yet another report for the day. Of course, he'd rather handle that than being out on patrol dealing with a shady drug abuser or common drug store thief. 

He sighed, reclining back in the chair he was using. He had to adjust the chair settings again, considering his desk-mate was apparently shorter and about as close to the ground as a gnome was. Shiro tried to be nice and set it to the settings his desk-mate used once he was finished for the day, but after the second month of his desk-mate not even showing the same compassion as Shiro and even going so far as to leaving _crumbs_ on their shared desk, Shiro decided fuck it and stopped trying to maintain a peaceful air.

Fuck you Bryan and your blueberry muffin crumbs.

Shiro scowled, the words and lines of the paper feeling so repetitive and dull, he almost missed the boring hours he wasted in the small town, just sitting at his desk, participating in dumb time wasting games his coworker's made up, like trash-ball. Who knew dunking a paper wad ball into a trashcan from so many different heights made it so entertaining?

Anyways, he was back to his old life, it was exciting but also stressful. Shiro sighed, thoughts drifting to Lance, the wonderful love of his life that he didn't have time to speak to yesterday like they planned. Yes, they had to _plan_ their conversations on days Shiro wouldn't be so busy or when Lance was free to talk. It was ridiculous, he missed seeing Lance like he used to, he'd been tempted to just up and leave his job here to go back to the small town he'd come to love, but that would be neglecting his sworn duty to help the people here. He was sworn to protect and serve and the people in this city needed that much more than the kind-hearted, but mischievous, folks back in town.

And right now, he needed to focus his energy into catching this criminal, some man known throughout crime circles as _the Black Lion_ , who has escaped police custody from three different cities. It was certainly a puzzling thriller, currently every city nearby the three targeted cities were on high alert about this guy. Shiro's department even hired a specialized FBI technical consultant to help track down this person's movements, hoping they could figure out where his next target would be.

"You look rough as shit." Shiro scowled at his form once more before turning his attention to the person that spoke. Pidge stood there, stirring their possibly fifteenth cup of coffee since they've been here, Shiro wasn't sure they even really left the precinct, their usual scowl on their face, professional wear rumpled and looking less sharp than when they first arrived.

They were also the youngest FBI member Shiro had ever met.

"Thank you Pidge." Shiro scoffed, leaning in his chair stretching as Pidge snorted.

"Seriously, you look like you could use a break. And this is coming from the tech genius who sleeps only four hours, five days a week and survives purely on Redbulls and coffee." Shiro's eyes widened, turning to them with wariness as he regarded their relaxed and eased state.

"Are you sure that's..healthy for you?" He gently asked, unsure if he was probably overstepping a boundary. Pidge merely chuckled without humor before carefully taking a sip of their drink.

"Fuck no. But it works, its helped me catch over three dozen criminals since joining the FBI at the ripe old age of twenty-two. It's what helped me graduate with my masters at twenty." Pidge shrugged, walking away like it was no big deal as Shiro gaped at that little tidbit. When his chief warned them the FBI agent was a special case, calling them the brightest mind of the next generation, Shiro didn't expect a literal kid genius to walk in. Of course, when they showed up that day of the meeting, there was some usual snark from some doubtful coworkers, but one remark from Pidge's sharp wit had them all shutting up instantly and soon they all saw the ingeniousness that Pidge embodied and how it helped the case.

"Pidge I'm nearly in my thirties and have been told I embody the mentality of an old man, what you just described as your 'diet' sounds like my worst nightmare."

"You do have the mentality of an old man, face it Shiro, we're both old souls. Your boy toy however is like a newborn baby. I can't understand half the shit he says." Pidge took a sip of their coffee, mostly just to hide their view from seeing the lovesick expression that popped up on Shiro's face. He gave her a weird look bordering on cautious.

"How did you know about Lance?" He inquired, curious considering he barely spoke about his personal life at work.

"I did some background digging on every police officer from the three cities, to see where I would fit best, I came across your information which led me to Lance, it was something to do with a case involving illegal pants? Anyways, I stalked his Twitter feed just for fun. He's very opinionated on pizza toppings." They stated, smirking a bit as Shiro flushed under their knowing gaze.

"He's very passionate about pineapples."

"Seems like it. I overheard your conversation yesterday too, mostly because I was bored and you're one of the few interesting people who work here, are you and Lance ok?" Pidge glanced at him curious and with a hint of concern as Shiro nodded, waving them off.

"We're fine, we just didn't have a chance to talk yesterday. I feel a little bad for how I sounded too." Shiro admitted with Pidge nodding.

"Yeah..you were kind of a jackass from what I heard on my end." Shiro winced, noting he would definitely have to make it up to Lance especially.

Unfortunately he wouldn't be able to do so until the case was over.

"I'm just worried about the conversation we're about to have when I tell him I won't be able to take the day off. He was really excited, this was going to be our first Halloween together as a couple." He explained. He had been really looking forward to it, well spending time with Lance mostly. When it came to the holidays, Shiro wasn't as enthusiastic since he had no family left to celebrate with, but he was willing to go along with whatever Lance had planned for them just because one, it was Lance and two, it was better than staying at home by himself.

So much for that though.

Just then, his cell phone began ringing, Shiro glanced down to see the ID and blanched when his boyfriend's name popped up(followed by two blue heart emojis). Shiro nodded towards Pidge, ending their chat with the other slinking off to probably yell at another rookie for touching their hi-tech equipment again. Shiro quickly answered, hoping his voice wasn't too nervous, "Hey sweetheart."

_"Hi...Um, listen about yesterday-"_

"Oh, Lance look, I'm so sorry for not calling you earlier and blowing you off last night. Things have been..really stressful down here and..I really miss you as well." Shiro admitted. He heard a soft breath on the other line followed by Lance's relieved voice,

_"Oh Shiro I miss you too, I don't mean to make you feel guilty or anything but it feels like forever since we last saw each other."_

"I know. I'll try to make up for it soon ok? Once I'm done here I'll come up to visit I promise."

 _"..Wait..once you're done-what about your day off for Halloween? I have our costumes for Shay's party and everything! You were going to be the Batman to my Catman! Partners in crime!"_ Shiro sighed, this was exactly what he was afraid of.

"I decided to take back the day off to help solve this case, its my main priority right now and the captain thinks they're on the verge of a breakthrough, I need to be here in case they call for backup. Also, Batman and Catwoman weren't partners in crime, that's Batman and Robin..also they fought crime, not part of it."

 _"You are not giving me another lecture on Batman's moral compass again! We both agreed last time, he's a vigilante with a heart of gold at best, or at least in the animated series he was. And Catwoman was like his sexy partner in crime, how dare you! She can do more than Robin could do for him..wait what did you say earlier? You took back your day off?"_ Ah, there it was.

"Lance, please don't be angry-"

_"Oh I'm not angry."_

"Oh well then-"

 _"I'm livid is what I am! Shiro we requested this day off a month in advance! You know how important this is to me. It's our first Halloween together! The year we start our own traditions that only we do with each other, like other couples when it comes to holidays. I mean, can't you just sit one day out? Your coworkers are working just as hard to find this person as you are, let them deal with this criminal. You don't actually have to be Batman and save the day all the time."_ Lance pointed out harshly, his voice raising a bit which did little to help Shiro's mood considering he was now livid as well.

"Okay, that kind of attitude of letting others 'deal with it' is exactly why nothing ever gets done in this country! Lance, I'm not stepping aside from my job when there is a man out there as sadistic and tenacious as this one, not if there's people at risk. He's been known to impersonate and steal identities, a real chameleon of the crime world right now and he's also wanted for suspected murder charges. I can't afford any days off until this man is caught!"

_"Which brings up my earlier point! Why is it always you who has to put his life on the line for everyone else? You don't have to be the hero all the time!"_

"This is my career Lance, I'm sorry I can't just drop everything and come spend time with you whenever you want, the city isn't peaceful like it is in town. Look, the safety of the community comes first before our relationship Lance, sometimes this is how adult relationships work, we won't always have time for each other and plans get cancelled." Shiro explained, exhausted completely. He waited as the other line went quiet, almost wondering if Lance had hung up on him when he heard it.

The small gasp of a breath that indicated Lance was crying.

Instantly, Shiro recalled everything he just said, wanting to take it all back and apologize, wasn't that what he originally was going to do to begin with? Beg on his knees, ask for forgiveness for his error yesterday? He paused waiting anxiously as Lance spoke, his voice tight with poorly concealed emotion.

 _"No, I think you just don't have time for me anymore Shiro. I have to go, my break's over. Good bye."_ Shiro sat there miserable, he wanted to stop him, tell him that wasn't true but he felt frozen in his seat, mind reeling over everything that happened in the past five minutes. Was it only five minutes? To him, it felt like they'd been arguing for an hour. Before he could say anything however, the call ended. Shiro stared down at his phone as Lance's name vanished from his screen, weirdly feeling like Lance was vanishing from his life. 

He sat there just staring at his phone, mind replaying that broken sob he barely heard muffled through the speaker, he ignored the various looks from a few lingering officers, some awkwardly shuffling away now that the entertainment was over. Pidge shuffled back over to him, a blank, carefully concealed expression on their face as they wordlessly handed Shiro a pocket sized bottle of whiskey.

"You look like you need this." Was all they said before wandering off, leaving Shiro sitting at his desk, feeling just as small as that little whiskey bottle, wondering how he was going to fix this.

 

                                                                                             ***********

 

Kuro sighed, feeling the fingers touch the back of his neck. He hadn't felt the breeze on his neck in years but it needed to be done and he was getting tired of the long locks anyways. He waited as his lackey finished with the last touches, they had to bust out the hair bleach, some scissors and a razor to perfect this interesting look. Kuro will admit, this guy's style definitely stood out.

He just hoped it wouldn't bite him in the ass later.

"It's a good thing you have the same build as this guy Kuro. There's no way we could have pumped you full of muscle on such short notice. Do you think he can bench 250?" Kuro glared at the man, knowing he wasn't one for pointless small talk. The man shut up immediately, announcing he was done with Kuro glancing towards the mirror, pleased with what he saw. While it wasn't perfect, his hair which was once long and dark, was now shaved in the back and along the sides with a cropped cut on top. He fixed the small patch of bangs that were bleached, moving them out of his eyes so he could admire his lackey's handiwork.

"Well done." Kuro noted, smirking at the visible sigh of relief the man released. Kuro shifted his head to look himself over. While it was true he did resemble so close to the man hes impersonating, there were still some obvious differences.

"What are you going to do about the arm?" His accomplice asked curious. Kuro just shook his head, rifling through his pockets for his knife as he spoke,

"I'll just keep it covered up. It's cold, so the boyfriend won't suspect anything." Kuro stated. He flicked the blade out, watching as the light caught the reflection of the blade, smiling at what he was about to do. 

"There is one thing however that we need to take care of."

"Are you sure you just don't want to use makeup?"

"Your skills are good but not that amazing. Besides, I feel like Lance is smarter than he looks and will catch on if I have to keep going to the bathroom to reapply the scar."

"Okay then whatever you say boss." Kuro glanced at him real quick, nodding his head as his friend grabbed the medical kit, holding onto it as he waited.

"Whenever you're ready Sir." Kuro smiled, glancing himself over one last time in the mirror before taking the knife blade and holding it up to his face.

 

********** 

 

Lance sighed, wishing he could just fling all these damn sweaters to the ground, curl up in them and cry. 

Ok maybe not in public.

He folded another sweater, identical to the one he was wearing ironically enough as he thought over his harsh words to Shiro. Their words repeating over and over in his mind for the past few days.

He’d never heard Shiro so agitated and angry..at him. It was scary to hear his lover speak like that, but he was acting like his opinions didn’t matter! Lance tsked to himself, shaking his head, he was still pissed and he had every right to be! Shiro had promised to take the day off and spend time with him, the last time they spent time together, _in person_ , was over a month ago. Lance wasn't a clingy or needy person(at least not around those who weren't his family), but all he wanted was a nice evening with his boyfriend, snuggled and pressed up against him and checking his ass out in latex.

That catsuit showed off _everything_.

Lance's anger flared up as he threw the sweater he was holding with force, to join the others on the display table, conflicted with his thoughts. While he was understandably upset with Shiro for ditching him and backing out on his promise, Lance also felt guilty for putting his boyfriend on blast like that all because Shiro just wanted to do his job to help others and save the world, like always.

 _'Face it Lance, you're dating a G.I. Joe. Generally the health and safety of others comes before their interests.'_ Hunk's words floated through his mind, after Shiro had hung up, Lance had given Hunk the rundown of what happened, maybe even reciting the story a little tearfully. Of course, Hunk being the fair human being he is, hardly blamed Shiro for what happened.

"I mean yeah, he promised to take the day off to spend time with you, but I think when it comes to emergencies, or in this case, stopping notorious criminals from escaping, I feel he's kinda allowed to break that promise?" Hunk had stated uncertain with a fuming Lance in front of him.

"Oh I hate it when you're right!" Lance had stormed off after that, the guilt following and welling up inside him for the next few days. A part of him was also sad Shiro hadn't made any attempts to call or text him, as far as he knew anyways, making the irrational part of Lance's brain theorize maybe Shiro had enough of dating his childish ass, they were now broken up which had Lance tearing up at the idea. To add more fuel to the fire, Lance was also still upset Shiro blew him off that night before their fight. Yeah, it wasn't that much of an incident, Lance had pushed Kuro away, told him no, and thankfully never saw him again after that. Lance almost regretted not telling Shiro about the kiss, feeling like it was cheating even though he hadn't initiated it. Ultimately, he decided he would just let it go since nothing happened after that kiss, and it wouldn't do anyone any good but add more stress to both of their lives. Even though all he wanted when he called was just some comfort to begin with. Of course, he had to ruin it instead.

Feeling sad again, Lance nearly slumped on the display table again but didn’t knowing his manager would probably cuss his ass out again. Instead he stood there, staring forlornly at the folded cable knit sweaters, ranging from the current season’s trending colors in a nasty mustardy yellow color to a murky booger green. They looked itchy and uncomfortable, not at all soft as the navy one he was currently wearing, more for comfort than style regulations of his job. As he was contemplating why anyone would buy these horrid sweaters, two hands came out of nowhere, covering his eyes causing Lance to shriek in a panic until a gentle laughing voice spoke up from behind.

“Guess who?” Lance immediately tore the arms away, laughing as he spun to lock his arms around Shiro’s chest, squeezing him tight as he did the same.

“Shiro! You’re here! I can’t believe it! This is like, fulfilling every single wet dream of you saving me from the woes of capitalism and khaki pants!” Lance bemoaned, smiling as Shiro hefted him up in his arms, one arm under his knees and the other wrapped around his waist. Lance glanced up, about to apologize for their fight when he spotted his manager, glaring from behind one of the clothing racks of women's lingerie. Lance gulped as he made eye contact, attitude changing as he faced Shiro.

“I mean...Hello Sir! How can I help you today?” He asked loudly, eyeing the manager until he rolled his eyes and walked away. Lance stuck his tongue out at his retreating form until Shiro pressed his lips against the corner of his mouth that had Lance giggling as he faced his boyfriend.

“Hey, save that for the dressing room babe! First, I gotta talk to you.” Lance spoke, breath hitching as Shiro kept pressing kisses against the side of his face.

“Can it wait? I have the most wonderful boyfriend in the world in my arms at the moment and I’d like to show him just how much I love him, if you know what I mean.” Shiro winked as Lance grew flustered.

“Well as exciting as that sounds, this really needs to be said. Look I just want to apologize for what I said the other day. I get it, I don’t really know anything about your job and it wasn’t my place to make comments like that..it was childish and stupid. I was mostly just mad about not spending time with you which is why I said those things..so do you forgive me?” Lance asked, his eyes widening with hope and a little uncertainty that had Shiro curling his arms around him more protectively.

“Of course. For what its worth, I’m sorry too.” Shiro apologized, pressing his lips to Lance’s. Lance hummed pleasantly as Shiro rolled his tongue into his mouth, something that was awfully bold for Shiro to do in public, normally he wasn’t super into PDA. The most he’d usually do in public is give Lance a quick kiss and hold hands. Lance leaned back, breaking off contact as he gazed at Shiro surprised.

“Wow so eager… Listen, I go on my break in another..ten minutes, want to have a lunch date at the food court?” he asked earning a pleased nod in response. He gently placed Lance down watching with interest as Lance fixed his clothes, a blush appearing on his cute face when he realized there were other people nearby, some watching with interest.

“Okay well, I better go back to folding the clothes or else my manager will really give me a scolding..again. I’ll be out soon, just hang around here if you want.” Lance offered as Shiro nodded.

“Sounds good. I’ll see you soon sweetheart.” He smiled, smirking a little when Lance practically swooned.

“God this really is like one of my wet dreams, I can’t wait!” Lance declared, he gave Shiro one last peck before practically skipping away towards the other side of the huge department store. Shiro watched fondly until he couldn’t see his boyfriend’s ass any longer. Once he was alone, he shuffled around the area, not really paying attention to what he was looking at, even doing his best to avoid other shoppers.

Checking to make sure Lance wasn't nearby, he pulled out Lance's phone, having swiped it out of his pocket and opening the contacts app. Quickly scrolling through the contacts he immediately found his number under the term 'Bara Batman' followed by two purple hearts and a kiss emoji. Shiro snorted at the name, quickly deleting the old contact number and plugging in a new one he recently acquired. Smiling, he sent a text to Lance's phone, mostly just a message telling him he loved him, a test to make sure it worked before he went to the phone's blocked numbers and entered in the old number. Just to be safe.

Pleased that this task was done, Shiro browsed the aisles bored, even scaring off a few nosey salespeople trying to sell him useless shit. His curiosity got the best of him however as he pulled out Lance's phone once again and scrolled through his photos. Shiro scowled seeing the many rows of selfies Lance had either taken of himself and Shiro or just Shiro. Many of them were candid shots of Shiro sitting on the couch reading peacefully or casually watching some movie or tv show with an awed look on his face. One photo that caught his attention was of the both of them curled up on the couch together. Lance held his trademark grin, his smile as bright as his eyes with Shiro also smiling, eye wrinkles crinkled in the corners to show how happy he was in the moment.

"Hey! I'm finished and off the clock! Where should we go eat?" Shiro quickly exited the photos and turned to give Lance a smile as he handed him his phone, Lance's smile dropping into a curious frown.

"You dropped this when you left. As for food, I'm fine anywhere you want to go. My treat." Shiro suggested as Lance put his phone away, finding it odd it somehow slipped out of his pocket but was distracted by his boyfriend's presence and eagerly took his hand, leading them out of the store and towards the food court.

"How about that ramen shop you like? We haven't been there in a while." Lance suggested earning a simple nod in agreement as the two walked, passing stores with Lance making little comments here and there about something that caught his interest. At some point, Shiro dropped their linked hands, choosing to wrap his arm around Lance's waist, pulling him closer, causing a blush to spread on Lance's face.

Lance glanced up at Shiro to say something but found himself staring instead. He didn't know why but something felt..off? 

"Something on your mind sweetheart?" Shiro asked with Lance shaking his head.

"Sorry you look different somehow..your scar is awfully red. Oh, did your hair get longer, I just noticed." Lance reached up and ran his fingers through Shiro's hair, feeling the prickly shaved part and smiling as Shiro chuckled.

"Yeah, I might have to cut it again soon." Shiro flushed embarrassed but didn't stop Lance's exploring hands.

"I don't know, I'd love to see what you would look like with long hair." Lance tried to imagine him with long locks, would he still have that patch of white hair, maybe? it would probably grow long just like the rest of his hair. The idea had Lance painting Shiro as a hot merman, his face flushing as he realized he'd totally have to masturbate to that later. A handsome merman prince saving Lance from a ship wreckage, the both of them wet and shivering, Shiro giving him mouth to mouth-

"Lance? Are you okay, you have a funny look on your face." Shiro waved his hand, which was covered in gloves even though he was inside, in front of Lance's face trying to get his attention.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, sorry, lets go!" Lance practically yelled as he dragged Shiro away hoping he wouldn't ask again and also hoping food would get rid of that tight, uneasy feeling he had in his stomach.

Weird how it's been there since Shiro showed up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does everyone just love putting Lance in perilous situations like I do? Next chapter I have no idea when it will be up..hopefully soon, then once this is done, I'll be back to working on Blue Eyes Always Haunting Me!


	3. A Charade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance attends his best bud's Halloween party but the mood is quickly ruined..Shiro heads back to town in hopes of saving his boyfriend in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soo sorry this is late and after Halloween, don't you just hate when real life gets in the way of creativity? This is definetly longer than I planned but hopefully should be wrapped up in the next chapter! The epiloque to Shiro and Lance's story will be over and included in chapter 4 as well!

Shiro frowned as the third message he tried to send Lance was rejected. He'd been trying to contact Lance all day after a few days of silence between them. He knew he should've apologized earlier but he was so busy with work he didn't have the chance, and when he had the time, he found himself cowering upon seeing the chat messages to Lance and would chicken out. Of course, he couldn't just relax after that argument they had. He hadn't slept well, barely ate whatever was close by just to keep himself alive. Even Pidge was nagging him about his diet. They had caught him eating microwavable macaroni yesterday and wouldn't stop the teasing ever since. Shiro tried to send another text to Lance, just something general, asking if they could talk, but sighed agitated as his message was rejected again. 

Did Lance have his number blocked or something? The idea of that had Shiro slumping just a bit, a little worried that Lance was possibly so angry he didn't want to talk or hear from his boyfriend ever again. He tried hard not to pout about his boyfriend not talking to him, but found his bottom lip sticking out anyways as he pondered what to do. Yes, he had been a jackass, again, but all he wanted was to apologize to Lance. He was even going to consider taking today off and spend time with Lance like he promised he would but the radio silence had him thinking otherwise.

"Hey." Shiro glanced up seeing Pidge standing there, eating a candy bar like that would improve their health of all things.

"Quit pouting over your boy toy. Just call him up, I'm sure he's absolutely miserable as well." Shiro sighed, not sure if that remark was true anymore.

"I've tried but every time I text or call it gets rejected. Of course, I've only tried today.." He drifted off. He should've called earlier. With the self loathing thoughts beginning to form, Pidge grabbed his phone and tried calling Lance themselves. As the phone beeped, signaling it was another rejected call, Pidge frowned as they glanced at the phone in curiosity.

"Yep, your number's been blocked alright." Shiro groaned, putting his head in his hands. This was going to take alot more than hushed apologies over the phone. With a new plan forming in his mind, Shiro got up to head to the Chief's office, ready to demand for his day off, no a weekend off. Lance deserved more than just one lousy day. If Lance was going to put all his efforts into maintaining this relationship, Shiro should at least meet him halfway. That was after all what adult relationships, or any relationship was about. All those statements about being a couple was like a partnership were true, Shiro could only hope he didn't fail this partnership he wasn't ready to let go of.

After talking with the Chief, who'd been more than happy to give Shiro the full weekend off, stating how Shiro more than earned his PTO, stating he hasn't taken a day off in the months since he's returned to their precinct, Shiro quickly began packing some things up, mostly just cleaning his desk up. His desk-mate was an asshole but that didn't mean Shiro needed to be.

As he turned to say his goodbyes to Pidge he was startled to see them standing next to him, tablet in hand and a small bag packed.

"So when do we leave?" They asked, walking next to him as he started for the door.

"Uh, we?" He asked unsure what was happening.

"I believe our criminal is hiding out in that town. I just want to confirm my suspicions before we call for backup down there." Pidge explained. Shiro nodded, the two hurrying over to his car, not really caring what Pidge's explanation was, as he was focused only on one thing, finding Lance and begging for forgiveness.

"I just have to stop by my apartment and grab some things then we'll be on the road." Shiro stated, hopping into the drivers seat and getting situated with Pidge making themselves comfortable in the passengers.

"Can we stop by the gas station? I need more Redbull too."

"Pidge, you've already had four-"

"My body is my temple and I will destroy it if I want to!" Was their only defense as Shiro looked them over, wondering if he should call their emergency contact. Apparently when Pidge would overwork themselves (possibly due to their lack of sleep and poor diet but hey, Shiro was no expert) they would go into 'hibernation mode' which sounded alot like Pidge was shutting down and going into a deep sleep like a computer.

Heh, they were basically a computer.

Their emergency contact was their older brother, some NASA scientist named Matt who was more than happy talking about Pidge's accomplishments and how proud they were of their younger sibling. That is, until Shiro explained Pidge's sleeping beauty condition they worked themselves into and suddenly Matt was calling them a little devil and telling Shiro to throw holy water on them.

This was a strange family.

"Uhh Shiro? You may want to skip getting your things and the gas station." Pidge stated uneasily which had Shiro glancing at them curious.

"How come?"

"This." Pidge turned their phone towards Shiro, the screen showing of some social media website Shiro was most likely not aware of. He didn't like social media all that much, he maybe used Facebook back in high school all those years ago before the military, but now he preferred the quiet, solitary lifestyle. Besides, if he wanted to know anything important, usually Lance would chat with him about the latest gossip or currently trending memes, none of which really mattered to Shiro as he mostly just liked to hear Lance talk about his passions. He also made the cutest expressions sometimes when he was disgruntled over something a celebrity did or said. Lance was just cute in general.

"Hey, loverboy! Look!" Pidge waved their phone harshly in front of Shiro's face, obviously agitated, so Shiro took the phone, giving the picture that was pulled up a glance and nearly dropping it in shock at what he saw.

There was a photo of Lance, smiling and sitting in a well lit area somewhere. What had Shiro freaking out was seeing himself sitting next to him. He thought for a second maybe this was an older photo of them both but after reading the caption, Shiro nearly tossed the phone as he read, 'Surprised by my boyfriend today and got a lunch date out of it! He's so camera shy' followed by an emoji of the laugh-crying face and an emoji of a bowl of noodles. The date marked that Lance posted a few hours ago, meaning this was some..imposter sitting there, eating lunch with Lance and..looking like him.

"How? What? I.." Shiro was frozen, unsure what to do or say. He was mostly confused about the situation until Pidge grabbed their phone and looked at it closely.

"Shiro this was taken a few hours ago. You've been here the whole time." They pointed out, Shiro could practically see the gears turning in their head as they thought this over while Shiro sat there feeling rising panic trump any other emotion.

"I think this is our criminal for sure! We have to get down there!" Pidge stated, whipping out their tablet and tapping away certain programs as Shiro felt fear replace panic.

Lance was alone..with a criminal..who looked just like him...

He needed to get there right now.

 

                                                                                              *************

 

Lance patiently waited as he leaned against the kitchen counter, looking at photos of cute kittens on his Instafeed. He sighed in longing, hoping one day he'd get the chance to adopt a cute little fur-friend but right now with his busy schedule of performing and working overtime, a cat was the farthest thing from his mind, okay not really, but at least he was waiting it out instead of running off and adopting one right away. 

He wasn't even thinking about cats right now.

Lance stretched languidly, the skin tight catsuit he was wearing making squeaky noises every time the fabric stretched out with his movements. It was a cheap costume, the best Lance could afford with his budget along with Shiro's, but with his sewing skills, they looked great. He opted for the Julie Newmar Catwoman look, with the standard black jumpsuit, clawed gloves, and black thigh high boots. He had a black eye mask on his face that made his blue eyes pop out and a black headband with cat ears tilted up. He was also wearing a gold chain and utility belt that was more of a glorified fanny pack to hold his plastic toy whip, his phone, car keys, snacks and even some condemns if he and Shiro felt like getting frisky tonight. 

Smiling happily, Lance flicked through the photos of him and Shiro he took earlier that day, although Shiro seemed grumpy about Lance's selfie hobby. He paused on one photo of them, it being the one he uploaded earlier on Instagram when they had their lunch date, Shiro treating of course like the gentleman he is.

Although, the way he was getting handsy under the table earlier made Lance think otherwise. 'It's been a while for us both so maybe he was just excited,' Lance thought shrugging it off. Shiro feeling him up certainly wasn't the worst thing in the world to ever happen to him.

A knock on his door pulled Lance from his thoughts, a smile etching its way onto his face as he knew who his visitor was before even asking cheekily, "Who is it?"

"Your silent guardian, a watchful protector, the Dark Knight." A deep voice responded back which had Lance in stitches from the voice alone. Pulling the door open, Lance greeted his boyfriend with a kiss to the cheek, casually ogling his boyfriend's ass in spandex as Shiro walked in, cape fluttering behind him. He continued his ogling, noticing how tight the fabric was around Shiro's abs, the batman logo sitting proudly right above his pecs. Lance had chosen the complimentary Batman costume that Adam West wore in the Batman series. True, it was old fashioned and dorky looking but Lance knew Shiro could pull it off and he did. The fabric was stretched in all the right places, the boots matched the gloves, cape, and cowl perfectly, and the gold utility belt resting just below Shiro's naval completed the look.

Lance finally glanced up to meet Shiro's eyes, gulping at the amused, hungry look as Shiro gazed back at him.

"I will admit, I felt a little silly walking around town dressed like this, but after seeing you in that getup..I'd say this was definitely worth it." He stated, pulling Lance closer to him, wrapping his arms around Lance's waist and planting a deep kiss on Lance's lips.

"You look amazing Lance..as always." Shiro murmured, Lance hummed agreeably, moving forward on his tip toes to lock lips with his hero once more.

"You know, I'll happily keep this on later tonight when we're home and..bored maybe?" Lance asked, blushing before turning and striding over to the door, arching just a tad bit to show off his backside in the tight fabric, smirking as Shiro's eyes immediately flocked to stare at his assets. Shiro coughed, attempting to get his voice normal before he spoke again,

"Uh-yes. I look forward to it." He stated, following Lance out the door, the both of them ready for a fun relaxed evening, first at a costume party and later some quality time alone. Before they could take a step towards the stairs, Lance grabbed Shiro's hand, making him pause as Lance fidgeted in place.

"I just..want to apologize again for the fight. I'm really glad we made up, I don't like fighting with the ones I love and I hope we never fight like that again." Lance explained, wrapping his arms around Shiro who did the same. Shiro gave him a comforting smile,bending to kiss his boyfriend's forehead which earned him a pleased sigh in response.

"I'm glad too Lance. I don't want to hurt you or make you upset, ever again." Shiro promised. Lance smiled, Shiro's words resonating with him and filling him with a feeling of desire and comfort. The two embraced one more time before Lance giggling, told Shiro they needed to be at Shay's in ten minutes, having promised to come over early and help set up. The happy couple headed for the stairs, Lance swinging their arms merrily unaware of how eventful the night truly will be.

 

************

 

"Shiro..I know you're eager to save your boyfriend and profess your undying love for the man but could you..SLOW DOWN MAYBE?!" Pidge screeched as Shiro passed yet another car without using his turn signal, although in his argument, technically the red and blue lights flashing on top of the car were the universal signal to get the fuck out of the way. Not his fault if people didn't move fast enough.

"Pidge this is an emergency! I will NOT slow down when my boyfriend is in danger! I have to go find him!" Shiro declared, speeding just a bit more as he passed some huge Volkswagon with a baby boomer behind the wheel, slamming his horn several times to let Shiro know how displeased he was.

"Geez Lance was right, you do have some hero complex." At Shiro's glare, Pidge gulped pointing back at the road.

"B-but I think you're just the coolest! Haha, let's just focus on not killing ourselves while trying to get there, ok?" Shiro sighed, ignoring Pidge once again as his thoughts urgently flickered back to his boyfriend. God, if Shiro didn't feel like shit before...

If the Black Lion did anything, _anything,_ to Lance there would be hell to pay.

The sound of a canned drink opening had him pausing his raging thoughts, turning towards the source of the noise as Pidge stopped like a deer caught in headlights.

"Pidge what are y-" He spotted the infamous blue and silver label of the can and nearly ran the car off the road as he grabbed the drink from their hands.

"Pidge! No! You've had too many!"

"Shiro its gives me wings! Don't clip them, its how I work!"

"You're too dependent on this stuff, it'll mess you up!" Shiro rolled down his window, tossing the can and saying a small prayer of sorry to Mother Earth for littering as Pidge screamed from the passenger seat helplessly.

"You were too young.." Pidge called out softly, putting a hand over their heart in memory of the fallen as Shiro groaned unamused.

"Pidge its an unhealthy drink, you've already had six today." Shiro pointed out.

"It's an unhealthy drink, you've already had six today!" Pidge mocked, ignoring the kicked puppy dog look Shiro gave them.

"That was uncalled for." He said simply, looking away as Pidge sighed and grabbed their phone, ready to give him the silent treatment until they spotted a newly recent photo of the driver's boyfriend that had popped up on their Twitter feed.

"Uhh..normally I'd ignore you forever, but I think you should see this." Pidge turned their phone around letting Shiro get a look at the screen. Slowing down somewhat, Shiro grabbed the phone and with his eyes focusing on the road and at the screen, he nearly halted the brakes as he stared completely stunned at the picture. It was a picture of Lance and..him dressed in costumes, Lance looked tall and graceful with a feline air about him, as he draped himself over the caped crusader, a toy whip dangling in one hand with the other clinging to the other's arm. He, or rather the Black Lion as he was known by, was standing in a heroic pose, nose towards the air as if he was 'sniffing out for crime.' What a shit ton of irony in that getup alone, it had Shiro almost laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Shiro?" Pidge asked hesitantly, unsure if the cop was about to have a mental breakdown when Shiro wordlessly handed them their phone back, his only focus on one person right now. 

'Lance..I'm coming for you. Please be safe.' He thought as the car continued its path down the dark highway.      

 

************

 

With the purple and red flashing lights creating a strobe-like effect and the music blaring loud, Lance was honestly starting to feel a bit disconcerted with everything happening around him. Normally, he thrived at parties. The food, the people, and the atmosphere kept Lance energized and going till the party was over or at least until the after-after party was over. Now he felt only regret and lost amongst the sea of people who flocked to Hunk's party.

Someone was wearing the same costume as him!

Lance pouted, waiting for his boyfriend to bring him a drink as requested while eyeing the girl up and down. Unfortunately what Lance lacked, this girl had and essentially filled out her costume beautifully, looking like a young version of Julie Newmar from that time period. That type of sly elegance had taken Lance weeks to prepare!

"Shirooooo." Lance whined, knowing his boyfriend was nearby somewhere. Sure enough, his dark knight came up beside him, holding two cups filled with punch(the alcoholic kind) and was glancing around with slight disinterest at everything.

"Sweetheart, your costume looks wonderful on you, I promise." Shiro dutifully kissed him on the cheek, wishing that wonderful pout on Lance's face would go away so they could enjoy the party properly..or he could just kiss it away instead...With that thought in mind, Shiro bent down, ready to give his boyfriend a big ol' smooch when Lance spoke, interupting him. 

"I know..I guess I was just hoping to be original this year or something." Lance glumly stated, leaning against Shiro's side who deflated, his attempts for another heated kiss thwarted as he instead wrapped Lance up in his cape, something he's been doing all night for added warmth when it was really just an excuse to touch Lance.

"You wanted to be original by picking a popular DC hero and his most well known sexy feline nemesis?" Shiro asked chuckling at the scowl that popped up on Lance's face.

"Okay smart-mouth, when you put it that way.." Lance giggled as Shiro kissed him, effectively cutting off his empty threat.

"Hey nice costumes!" The couple looked up in surprise to see two other men standing there, the both of them just leering at Lance like he was a warm baked good. Shiro frowned, stepping in front of Lance, using his body(and cape) as a shield as the men tried to peer around and gaze at his boyfriend.

"Can I help you two with something?" Shiro asked pleasantly but the way he said it had chills running down Lance's spine.

"Yeah, my partner and I were just talking about this lame party when we caught a gander at your twink friend here. Wanted to see if he was up for some fun with us. What do ya say blue eyes?" One of the man asked, flashing the most predatory smile ever that Lance wanted to throw up but he was more distracted by the man's first comment.

"Did you just call my best friend's party lame?!" Lance demanded, now stepping in front of Shiro as he poked accusingly at the man who spoke. His partner scoffed, pulling his partner out of reach of Lance's very pointy finger, giving them a smile of disdain.

"Yes, who still plays The Monster Mash anymore? That's such a lame song." He pointed out with the other man agreeing. Lance crossed his arms, noticing how the first man hadn't stopped staring at his legs, the creepy jerk. His eyes narrowed into slits as he gave them both a glance, scoffing at the fact these two of course didn't dress up for Halloween, what weirdos.

"It's a fun, classic song! Nothing wrong with playing the classics!" Lance defended, feeling good about his arguing point but the men just laughed.

"Of course you think so, considering you're dressed up as the old Catwoman..and its apparent in your taste for lovers." One man spoke, smiling as his spouse laughed as Lance felt anger bubble over.

"I swear to god, if you two don't leave I'll-"

"What? Get grandpa here to report us to the coppers?" The man who first spoke slid closer to Lance, reminding him of a snake as he leaned in closer to Lance's face, his own shadowed by the lack of light and eyes lacking any shine to them. Lance felt time slow down and the music fade away as the stranger's breath fanned his cheeks.

"Why don't you come with us, we'll give you a real good time, give your knees a break from sucking macho grandpa's dick for a change." He stated with Lance stepping back, a retort slowly coming to mind when everything went to shit fast.

As he moved back, it took Lance a few seconds to realize he wasn't moving and that he was actually being pulled back by his boyfriend, a tight grip on his arm shoving him behind the other as Shiro clocked the other man in the face with his fist. Everything moved so slow Lance could almost imagine one of those cartoon word bubbles with the word 'POW!' hanging right above the knocked out man's form. Lance watched in horrified awe as the other man began freaking out, cradling his lover in his arms, drawing the attention of other party goers now. At some point the music stopped and the normal lights flickered on, Lance stood there dumbly, not sure what to do or say as Shiro stood in front of him, not backing down even as the other man began hurtling insults at him.

"How dare you hit him you bully! He has asthma!" The man cried out, a stray tear running down his cheek as Shiro continued to stand there, no remorse on his face which scared Lance just a little.

"That doesn't give him or you the right to harass other people like that. Especially when they're taken." Shiro gritted out, his scowl scaring more people away as the crowd backed up, giving the four of them space. Eventually, Hunk and Shay, dressed as Frankenstein's monster and Dr. Frankenstein respectively, made their way over to see what the 'party foul' was.

"Lance? Shiro? What happened?" Hunk asked, confused as Shay helped the other two men, calling out for someone to help move the unconscious male to the couch. Lance glanced between the men and Shiro warily. He wasn't sure how to explain what happened considering he wasn't sure himself. With a sigh, he pointed at the unconscious man on the couch, who seemed to be alright, only sleeping by the looks of it as he began to speak.

"Shiro and I were just talking and then these two came over to talk-"

"Harass. They were harassing Lance to have sex with them." Shiro interrupted harshly, uncaring of the matching flinches Lance and Hunk made at the loud volume.

"So you..punched them?" Hunk asked, Lance could've laughed at the exasperated look Hunk was giving Shiro, but he was still trying to wrap his head around that fact himself.

"Yes. Did you not hear me? They were harassing Lance!" Shiro repeated, completely done with how no one was taking this as serious as he was. He was just defending his boyfriend!

"Yeah I get that, and they're assholes for doing that Shiro, its just..you normally don't..punch people like that." Hunk explained, unsure what to say as Shiro stood there frozen. Lance felt that uneasy feeling wash over him again as he watched his boyfriend stand there floundering for an excuse.

"Hunk, I think we'll just call it a night. We should probably get home." Lance stated, eyeing the still pathetically sobbing man fretting over his partner who was groaning in agonizing pain. Shay stood by them, rolling her eyes at the overdramatic exclamations they were both making. Hunk nodded, seeing them to the door with Shiro silently fuming still. With his dark aura and the costume, he was embodying every aspect of Batman, which Lance would be completely fan-girling over if it weren't such a serious situation. Hopefully that jackass won't press charges. The two left right away, Lance hearing one last wail from the men before quickly shuffling himself out of there, closing the door behind him with a sigh.

"Man that was..intense I guess is the right word. How's your hand?" Lance asked taking Shiro's right hand gently, worried that the prosthetic might have taken some damage and attempted to remove the glove when Shiro jerked his hand out of reach.

"It's fine. I'm..fine I guess. Are you okay though, they were saying some awful things to you." Shiro pointed out. Lance just shrugged not really caring.

"Yeah but I deal with that on a day to day basis from customers at my job. People are terrible to customer service." Lance explained laughing a bit, hoping to lighten the mood but Shiro's frown didn't go away like he hoped.

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you like that, I just..don't like seeing you mistreated." Shiro admitted bashfully that had Lance raising an eyebrow.

"So you punch them? Shiro, this is a side of you I've never seen before. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you gotta learn to let things go..like you usually do. Is there something bothering you? Are you still upset about our fight?" Lance asked, a worried look softening his features as he reached out to take Shiro's hand who seeing the opportunity took it and kissed his palm, brows knitting.

"No, I'm sorry for making you think that. I just..haven't felt like myself lately, is all. Stress from the job I guess." He joked, chuckling without humor as Lance's concern didn't go away after the confession.

"Well..how about this, I planned for us to have a movie night at my place after the party anyway. Let's just start on that early." Lance suggested, a smile making its way onto his face as he hooked an arm around Shiro's waist, waiting for the bigger man's approval. With a small smile and a nod, Shiro wrapped an arm around Lance's waist as well and the two headed off into the night.

 

                                                                                             ************ 

 

With the town coming into view, Shiro reached for his cell phone, ignoring Pidge's screeches to not text and drive, scoffing at the ridiculous notion as he scrolled for the familiar number, holding his breath as he pressed dial and waited for the receiver to answer. 

_"Shiro?"_

"Hunk! Listen where's Lance?" Shiro asked urgent as Pidge tapped away at their tablet. They had been making calls all throughout their drive, alerting their headquarters of the situation as well as Shiro's precinct, and any neighboring precincts looking for this guy. With everyone in the know and getting everything ready it would take a while for any of them to show up and by then it would be too late. Shiro knew he'd be out of bounds going after this criminal himself, but his boyfriend needed him more than ever.

_"Uhh with you? You just left with him dude."_

"Did he say where we were going? Hunk, this is really important!"

 _"No, he didn't. Oh by the way, don't worry about that asshole you punched, several witnesses claimed they heard him and his partner harassing Lance so they dropped their threats of pressing charges."_ Shiro paused stunned at that information.

"Lance was harassed?" He tried to conceal that angry tone that was popping out but judging by the wary look Pidge was giving him, Shiro doubted he succeeded.

_"Yeah..dude you were there. You should know, you punched the dude for Pete's sake."_

"Hunk, this is really important and it will sound weird but..whoever is with Lance..is not me." There was radio silence on the other end, other than the faded recordings of The Monster Mash coming through the speakers. Shiro was about to ask if Hunk was still there when he spoke up,

_"Is this some kind of dumb prank? Did Lance put you up to this?"_ Hunk asked unamused as Shiro sighed. 

"Hunk I'm telling you, there is a criminal who is trying to impersonate me and right now he's alone with Lance who needs our help!" Pidge having enough of this conversation, taps Shiro impatiently, making hand gestures to hand over the phone much to Shiro's reluctance.

"Hello Hunk. This is special agent Pidge Gunderson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation here to confirm Officer Shirogane's ramblings. The man with Lance right now may be the criminal who's wanted in three cities and known to impersonate others as well as steal identities. He's a wanted jewel theif and incredibly dangerous. Any information you have on them would be very helpful for us so we can save your friend. Got that?" Pidge barked out, Shiro gaping at the amount of authority in their voice. There was more radio silence until a small voice on the other end squeaked out, _"You could try our apartment. He might be there."_ Pidge turned to Shiro who nodded, knowing the way there.

"Thank you Hunk for your cooperation." As they were about to hang up, they could hear Hunk's vice yelling for them to wait, pleading to not hang up yet. Pidge handed Shiro the phone after that, unwilling to deal with an emotional civilian at the moment.

"Hunk?"

 _"Shiro, please keep him safe. I saw that guy punch a man's lights out with no remorse. I don't want to come home to my best friend not being there."_ Those words left an icy chill in Shiro's gut, with a slow exhale to help calm himself, he appeased Hunk's worries, making promises he certainly couldn't keep before hanging up, a new ember lighting the fire inside him as his contempt towards the man, the Black Lion built up.

"We should probably come up with a plan, the whole storming the door down, SWAT team style, probably won't cut it this time." Pidge stated, turning to Shiro who glared at the dark road ahead of them.

"As long as is it keeps Lance in one piece and guarantees his safety above all else, I'm willing to do anything." Shiro stated, unseeing the evil gleam to Pidge's eyes. Pidge picked up a stray pamphlet about a pizza delivery service from the floorboard. Turning to Shiro satisfied, they held it up for him to see.

"Anything you say?" They smirked as Shiro blanched.

"Christ."


	4. Answers + Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final climax to The Doppelganger, will Lance quickly realize the Shiro he knows is an imposter? Will the real Shiro get to him on time? WILL PIDGE EVER GET THEIR REDBULL? (Spoiler: No they do not.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading The Doppelganger and giving it a try! It means so much to me to see the wonderful comments you guys leave! Honestly, the Shance fandom is truly one of the best shipping fandoms I've been apart of, remember to spread that positivity to others in the fandom as well! Enjoy~

"I will say, other than what happened with those guys, what a fun party! Hunk and Shay really outdid themselves this year!" Lance laughed as he unlocked the apartment door, tossing his keys and plastic toy whip to the side with Shiro following behind him. 

"I think this costume is coming off, it's starting to pinch my biceps." Shiro frowned, rubbing his arms just a bit which brought Lance's focus to the beefy muscles the officer was describing.

"Nooo then we can't have more of the fun I planned for us!"Lance whined as he threw himself at Shiro smiling as his boyfriend easily caught him and held him up. A flush spread over the man's cheeks at the implication, before twisting into something darker, more hungry.

"Well in that case, I'll gladly keep the cape and cowl on for you then." He growled into Lance's neck bringing out a bubbly laugh as Shiro found one of his ticklish spots on his neck, that soon turned to gentle nipping.

"That would be-ah! Good! Catman has some serious revenge plans for the Caped Crusader after our last bedroom fiasco." Lance blushed, remembering their last bedroom adventure. Let's just say in a pinch, vaseline is not a good idea for lubricant, which was how Shiro and Lance found out, one trip to the emergency room later.

"Sure. I'll be right back though, I have to see about some needed justice in the bathroom first, then we can get back to your revenge plans..Catman." With a departed kiss to the forehead, Shiro stalked off towards the restroom with Lance pausing a little confused. He couldn't believe Shiro didn't break into a massive giggle fit when he brought up the vaseline incident..weird.

With a shrug, Lance took off his mask, throwing it away in the apartment he knew he'd have to clean up before Hunk came home. He turned the TV on, flicking to the movie section as he made sure there were some blankets for them both to add to the cosy atmosphere. When he was all set, he headed for the kitchen, plugging his phone in to charge since it died sometime after they had reached Hunk's party. As the screen came back to life, Lance waited patiently until the home-screen popped up, frowning when he received a message from Hunk that seemed urgent, followed by several other messages and various phone calls from a number he didn't recognize.

With a glance towards the bathroom, Lance turned back to his phone, wondering what this was all about, knowing Hunk wouldn't normally be texting him already when they just parted ways about thirty minutes ago.

 **Hunk:** _'Dude! The guy you're with isn't Shiro! Get out of there man!'_

 **Hunk:** ' _Seriously Lance of all the times you don't look at your phone?!'_

 **unknown number:** _'Lance it's Shiro! I know this is crazy but you're in serious danger right now! The stranger you're with isn't me! Please call me!'_

 **Hunk:** _'Dude Shiro's on his way to help, please tell me you're at the apartment?'_

 **unknown number:** _'Lance please don't go anywhere with Shiro tonight, that man is not who you think he is!'_

Lance gaped at the messages, confused but also scared. If this was some practical joke, this was going way too far.

"Who are you texting babe?" Lance jumped, dropping his phone on the ground as he spun to face Shiro..er whoever this guy is. Lance laughed nervously as he shuffled away from the man, trying to inconspicuously pick up his phone, hoping whoever this person was didn't see the text messages.

"Oh, just Hunk! He wanted to know how we liked the party." Lance lied, smiling as Shiro glanced him over carefully.

"It was pretty fun, until that mishap...That dip he made was pretty good. I'll have to ask for the recipe next time I see him." Shiro smiled as Lance gaped.

'What the fuck? Shiro would never cook! He knows hes completely helpless in the kitchen,' Lance thought, eyes narrowing with suspicion as this Shiro gave him a confused look.

"Something wrong..sweetheart?" He asked, stepping forward as Lance took a step back. It felt silly but that weird uneasy feeling was back in his gut again, Lance felt more apprehensive than before, scolding himself for acting so weird when this was probably just some very mean prank..yeah a prank. Lance gulped, feeling like he was going to sweat buckets as he plastered a fake smile on..just in case...

"Nope, nothing's wrong! In fact everything's perfect, except we're out of chips! We need chips, like yesterday! For our movie session of course, so I'm going to hop on down to the corner store real quick and grab some...You stay here, I'll be right back!" Lance turned, hoping he didn't look too suspicious as he grabbed the doorknob handle only for a hand to firmly settle over his, causing him to gulp nervously before turning towards the owner of said hand.

"We ate plenty of chips at Hunk's, there's no need for you to run outside in this cold weather. I'm sure we'll be fine. Let's just relax." Shiro smiled as he guided Lance back to the sofa. Lance gulped again, unsure what to do now as Shiro draped his arm across Lance's shoulders, his hand rubbing Lance's shoulder and leaving goosebumps underneath the fabric.

 

*******

 

Shiro bounced his leg, waiting for Pidge to say something, anything at this point, he was wearing a hole into the floorboard right now as they waited to get a GPS signal on Lance's phone. They had to be sure Lance and the Black Lion were in his apartment, otherwise it would feel silly busting down the door to an empty apartment. 

"What is taking so long?" Shiro asked impatiently as he leaned over to look at Pidge's tablet screen. Pidge paused in their search to glare up at the other, giving him a testy response.

"Almost everyone turns their GPS signal off these days. You can thank the idiot who started that rumor about the government spying on us through our webcams. Like we have time for that shit." They stated, turning back to their work, just lines of coding and some silly flashing doodle of Pidge's face absorbing the knowledge they're gaining. It would've been very cute and comical if only Shiro wasn't worried about his boyfriend at the moment.

"I apologize for my impatience, this has been probably one of the most stressful events of my life..and I've lost an arm." Shiro stated, giving Pidge their breathing room as he backed off collapsing back into the driver seat.

He couldn't help but feel like this was his fault, karma set out for him all over again. It seemed like anytime Shiro was happy with his life, his career, his love life, karma had to show her nasty ass at his door and remind him once again, 'hey life is ridiculous and you should seriously just quit'. With his face in his hands, Shiro wondered how Lance was holding up, Hunk had called them back in a panic saying he couldn't get a hold of him, he probably wasn't aware of the situation to begin with. He'd probably been so overjoyed about Shiro visiting him, he never even saw the differences between them.

Shiro shook his head, knocking that idea down. Lance was way too smart than people gave him credit for. Sure, he focused on the wrong details sometimes, but Lance had most likely noticed that the person he was with, wasn't his boyfriend and was probably waiting for some sign he could escape. Shiro glowered at the steering wheel as he thought about Lance being harmed in anyway by this clone, this doppelgänger of his.

'If this stranger so much as lifted a finger on Lance, he's going to be eating asphalt for days,' Shiro thought, fists clenching as he imagined the worst case scenarios from getting there late and seeing Lance dead, or no sign of him or their criminal anywhere.

"If he's in his apartment like Hunk said, you'll need to change into your costume." Pidge pointed out as Shiro groaned eyeing the tacky, orange uniform shirt and matching hat with distaste. They had obtained the uniform from a local pizzeria and borrowed one of their pizza boxes as well. The obviously bored teenager had simply shrugged and handed all the things over without questioing why. 

They must have waited for what felt like over an hour to Shiro when it was only twenty minutes, until Pidge finally had something.

"It's a signal! I got it! He's at 17 Lion Street!" They shouted, Shiro glancing up, only to lose all color as he gave Pidge a look of foreboding.

"That's his apartment alright." He noted with dread filling his heart.

 

********

 

Lance fidgeted in his spot on the couch. Shiro still had his arm draped over Lance, pinning his body to the seat. Lance had tried everything he could think of to get away, but each of his escape plans were foiled. He tried to get them some drinks from the kitchen, to making up an excuse about having to use the bathroom but each time he tried to get up, Shiro would just grab his arm and shove him back into the seat, making up some lame excuse like, "You'll miss the best part," or, "Wait this is a funny commercial, you gotta see it."

Lance sighed as he tried to look casual and relaxed but with Shiro sitting so close and the tight grip he was keeping on Lance's left shoulder left him hot and sweating through the cat-suit.

"Shiro, I really need to use the restroom, do you mind?" Lance asked, eyeing the possessive arm on his shoulders which slowly lifted up, Shiro finally relenting. Lance quickly hurried to the restroom, once he was safe inside he closed the door and locked it, briefly debating just staying there until hopefully the police arrive. After a few quiet, torturous minutes to himself, there was a slight tap on the door followed by silence.

"Y-yes?" Lance asked shakily and wanting to kick himself after.

"Sweetheart..are you okay?" Shiro, or not-Shiro answered. Lance swallowed, trying to contain his fear before he answered, "I'm just not feeling well suddenly..I think it was the food." He lied, waiting for a response back. It was agonizingly quiet for a while until that low voice spoke again,

"Okay..I'll be right outside on the couch waiting okay?" Shiro spoke, his voice sounding oddly careful as his footsteps faded away. Lance waited with bated breath until he felt absolutely sure Shiro had left. Opening the door quietly, Lance peeked out through the small hallway, breathing a sigh of relief at not seeing Shiro anywhere.

If that was a sentence he'd thought he'd never say.

With a new burst of energy, Lance quietly tried to make his way towards the door, thinking now was his chance to escape, when a huge force slammed into him, pinning him against the wall with ease.

"Gak!!" Lance coughed, struggling against the rough hands pinning him as he glared up at his attacker, Shiro.

"Shiro..what are you doing?!" Lance demanded, reaching with one arm to bat his grip away but whimpered in defeat when Shiro just grabbed it and pinned it beside his head.

"I should be asking you that, sneaking away into the dark night, and we haven't even cuddled yet baby." He breathed, leaning in close to kiss along Lance's neck whose skin crawled in revulsion. "Wanna explain to me what those texts were about?"

"Get off me!" Lance ordered, trying to use his legs now, to kick the other off but gasped as Shiro's hands immediately went from pinning his body to wrapping themselves around his throat. With a wicked smile, Shiro lifted Lance by his throat, leaving his feet and legs dangling above the ground away from stabilization. Lance choked, a fire spreading from inside his throat as Shiro's bruising grip tightened, making Lance feel light headed. That didn't stop Lance from giving his attacker the evil eye as he struggled for breath to speak,

"Y-you're not my Shiro! And..you're certainly not Batman! H-how dare you disgrace his name!" Lance accused, gasping and eyes flashing with anger as the man before him chuckled darkly.

"Maybe you should calm down a bit, we're going to have a long evening ahead of us darling." He spoke, breath fanning Lance's ear making a shiver run down his spine.

Lance's respite finally came when the doorbell rang, letting him sigh in relief.

"Who's here?" Shiro asked, eyes narrowed towards the door as his grip shifted from Lance's neck, sliding to his waist and yanking him closer. Lance sputtered from the tight grip but mostly he was trying to breathe properly while coming up with some excuse.

"Oh I uh.." He tried to think.

"Pizza delivery!" The voice on the other side of the door hollered. Shiro gave Lance a distrustful look that had him nervously avoiding his gaze.

"Oh I forgot! I was still hungry after Hunk's party so I ordered a pizza for us!" Lance lied as Shiro huffed.

"I don't remember you ordering food."

"It was when you were in the bathroom." Lance explained, hoping whoever was on the other side of the door wouldn't leave just yet. Two more powerful knocks came from the door that eased his fears slightly until Shiro's grip tightened on his waist.

"Hmm...Better be careful. It could be a trap." Shiro muttered, moving and dragging Lance with him. Lance felt like he was talking more to himself than to Lance which had him unnerved all the more. Lance quickly headed to the door, Shiro right behind him, if his tight grip on his arm wasn't indication enough, Lance paused just a bit, hoping whoever was out there would run and get help until Shiro grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open, which is when all hell broke loose.

Okay it was way more calm than that expression implied, Lance was actually referring to the tension in the air. Standing on the other side of the door was another Shiro, his Shiro, in a pizza delivery uniform of all things, holding a pizza box, and gazing at Lance and his clone in shock.

"Shiro.." Lance breathed, a bit paralyzed to have solid proof standing before him that the man he spent the entire evening with and kissing earlier, was not in fact his loving boyfriend. He felt so sick and an urge to throw up but held it back as he lifted his arm up in awe. Before he could reach out, the man holding Lance twisted the two of them away from the door, Lance shouting in alarm as Shiro tossed the pizza box, pulling out his gun, ordering the man to surrender. Not-Shiro merely sneered, yanking Lance against his front, wrapping an arm around Lance to hold him hostage as he whipped out a gun from the costume's utility belt.

"Well looks like we'll have to cut our evening short, Kitten." The man smirked as he watched Shiro glare at him, Lance wiggling around in his grip, trying to escape.

"Don't call me that! Who the hell are you?" Lance demanded, whipping his gaze to face this criminal, who gave him a smirk in response. Carefully adjusting his grip on Lance and the gun, he managed to yank the cowl and cape off with one tug, the evil imposter's face giving Shiro a wicked grin as Lance blinked confused until it suddenly came to him. Lance gaped, now recognizing him as the guy from the bar, Kuro, who had spoken to him kindly, taken him home, and then tried to solicit a kiss from Lance. 

"Kuro? What the hell are you doing? And dressed as Batman of all people!" Lance spat as Shiro sighed exasperated. Honestly he loved his boyfriend, but sometimes he was a little too focused on unimportant details. Like right now for example. Kuro merely snorted before adjusting his stance as well as the gun in his hand, aiming it right at Lance's temple, the jerkiness of his hand knocked the barrel against his head causing Lance to whimper in pain.

"Seriously, I have a gun on you and you want to berate me for dressing as Batman? How dim-witted are you?" He said, smirking at the angry glare Shiro sent him as well as Lance's offended expression.

"Dim-witted? Well you're just a..evil, mean, Shiro clone!" Lance retorted, struggling in Kuro's grip as the man tightened his arm around Lance's neck, cutting off his air supply once more. Shiro moved, hoping he could take Kuro down but instead Kuro just waved the gun at Lance, reminding the officer the stakes were high. 

"Alright as much fun as this has been, it's time I make my leave and assume another dumb sap's identity. Let me go freely and I won't shoot him." Kuro threatened as Lance gazed helplessly at Shiro, unsure what to do in the situation. Shiro hesitated as well, his gun out and pointed at Kuro, he couldn't just take the shot, Kuro would no doubt just throw Lance in front to protect himself, but he couldn't just let Kuro leave and possibly keep Lance hostage either. He and Pidge were still waiting for others to show up, he knew he was in for the scolding of a lifetime from his boss but right now he couldn't bring himself to care.

It turns out, he didn't have to do anything, before either he or Kuro noticed, Lance had quickly kicked upwards towards Kuro's groin, Kuro flinching away just in time for Lance to spin out of his hold and maneuver Kuro's arms to hit himself, knocking the air out of him. Shiro watched impressed as Lance easily yanked the gun out of Kuro's grip, holding it steady and aimed right at Kuro, glaring heatedly as Kuro stared them both down with contempt.

"You sick son of a bitch! Just how far were you going to do this, impersonate my boyfriend forever?" Lance asked outraged despite Shiro's attempts to calm him down. Kuro just smiled wickedly back at him, bringing a chill to the air as Lance shivered under his gaze.

"Just until I had my fun. I was just stopping by when I ran into you. I figured I could do some work while I was here, all under Officer Shirogane's identity of course, got my hands on some pretty things too. Plus, I could never resist someone with blue eyes like yours sweetheart." Kuro spoke with such saccharine sweetness it made Lance's skin crawl as he shook his head in disgust and moved further away as Shiro got closer, pulling out handcuffs. 

"Ryu Kurogane...You have the right to remain silent. If you do or say anything, it can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have a lawyer present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you if you so desire." Shiro recited, quickly putting himself between the criminal and Lance as he snapped on the handcuffs. With Kuro occupied he leaned in, muttering only words the criminal could hear,

"You better hope I don't find a single scratch on my boyfriend or I will up the charges against you personally." He spoke, his words merely bringing a chuckle from the criminal as he looked up at Shiro with mirthful eyes. In the background, Lance was speaking to someone over the phone, probably the police as Pidge, who had been radioing headquarters finally walked in, gazing at the two of them and Lance with curiosity.

"Maybe if you had paid better attention to that sweet ass, this whole thing wouldn't have started to begin with." Kuro's words brought out a new anger that swelled up inside Shiro. Despite Pidge's warnings, Shiro struck the other, shaking his hand after the punch as Kuro spat blood onto the carpet, a newly busted lip beginning to form. He focused his gaze on Shiro, eyes burning with an urge to kill with Lance freaking out in the background, shouting about getting ice for his boyfriend's bruised knuckles as more policemen entered, some of the backup finally arriving with more on the way from what it sounded like. He heard more sirens and saw the flashing red and blue lights pulling up to the apartment complex, he leaned back and watched as Kuro was escorted out of there, his boyfriend Lance talking to a few policemen about what happened. Shiro sighed, knowing that everything was going to be alright at last.

 

*******

 

Lance sat on the stairwell to his apartment, there were still some lingering policemen and cars hanging around. A few of his neighbors had already stuck their heads out, spoken to him and some policemen about what was going on, of course it didn't help Lance that they would nod their head knowingly once they were aware it had something to do with Lance.

He didn't _try_ to get in trouble, alright? These things just happen!

Scoffing, Lance hugged the blanket one officer gave him closer, having already been checked out by the EMT for the bruises on his neck. Shiro hadn't been too happy learning about that and had almost wanted to go say a few things to Kuro but thankfully, that FBI agent, Pigeon or something, had stopped him.

Lance groaned as he planted his head in his palms, tired and exhausted after such a long night. Hunk had showed up at one point, having removed parts of his own costume as he franticly checked on Lance, wanting to make sure with his own two eyes his roommate was ok. Lance had enough of being doted on the entire night, mostly just wanting space after what he endured.

All the hugging, kisses, and the groping. Lance felt woozy once more, propping his head against the cold railing and sighing as he tried not to vomit, again. He spotted Shiro coming towards him now and felt only slight relief at the sight of his boyfriend. He wasn't sure whether he was still angry about their fight and honestly was not in the mood for a round two. So as Shiro approached, Lance decided to be cute by asking, "Are you the real Shiro or just another clone?"

This of course threw Shiro off completely. He paused in his step, still in the ridiculous delivery uniform, but without the hat this time. Lance raised his eyebrow at him, waiting for an answer as Shiro fidgeted still nervous.

"I-I mean I am Shiro, and last I checked before this..whole mess started your boyfriend..and hopefully still am?" He asked nervous which would normally have Lance reaching out for him, pulling him close and peppering his cute face with reassuring kisses but right now Lance felt like being difficult.

"Prove it." At Shiro's stunned look, he decided to enunciate, "Prove to me you're my Shiro, tell me something only he knows about." Lance asked as Shiro nodded quickly.

"Okay uhh, what should I tell you?" He asked unsure what Lance was looking for. Lance squinted at him for a bit thinking until an idea came to mind.

"If you're really Shiro..do you remember the vaseline incident?" No sooner were the words 'vaseline incident' out of his mouth, Shiro let out one of his rare giggle fits. He covered up his smile with his hand, trying to apologize for his behavior at a serious moment but with his shaking shoulders Lance could only smile at the sight, knowing this truly was his boyfriend before him.

Shiro coughed, attempting to get a hold of his laughter, straightening up and trying to look serious.

"Yes I remember the incident pretty well, we were in the ER for hours." Shiro smiled, it was one of the weariest nights he ever endured, even more worse than some nights he was put on patrol. However, it was probably one of the fondest memories he had with Lance, it was a night that tested their patience for sure and also their strength in each other. Very much like tonight.

Lance huffed out a laugh, wiping away a relieved tear as he watched Shiro fondly giggle over the incident. He felt much better knowing not only this was the real Shiro, but that he still found the situation hilarious even in the most serious of moments. With new determination in him, Lance stood up, clutching the blanket closer as he stepped towards Shiro. His boyfriend gave him a small smile, a look of longing in his eyes that had Lance swallowing and lightly taking his hand in his.

"Do you have to go back to the city?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer. Shiro softly took his hand, locking his fingers with Lance's as he bit his lip.

"Because I acted out of boundaries for this case by coming here without telling the proper authorities, I am now on a two week suspension. I'd be more worried about it going on my clean record but..I'm more happy that my boyfriend is alive and okay for the most part to really care about some silly record." Shiro stated a small smile spreading into a grin as Lance tugged him closer to wrap his arms around him.

"Well..since its late, I know where you can stay the night. A warm bed, good coffee, and a hot breakfast in the morning if you're interested." Lance suggested, his fingers teasing the collar to the shirt Shiro was wearing who began blushing a bit from the attention.

"Will you be the one enjoying them with me?" He asked, lowering his head till his forehead rested against Lance's. Lance breathed out a quiet, "Yes," about to lean in and kiss him when Shiro's name was called. The couple paused, Shiro sighing as he turned to see Pidge waving him towards them, a few other officers and some suits standing just behind them. Shiro swore quietly, turning back to Lance who had lost all that loving gentleness and gazed upon him with an accepted sadness.

"I need to finish up but once I'm done..can we talk?" Shiro gulped unsure what the answer would be but exhaled in relief as Lance nodded. With great care, he placed a gentle hand on Lance's cheek, taking note of the finger shaped bruises on Lance's neck that had his protective urges flaring up again. Shiro swallowed, holding back his true emotions just a bit, knowing it wouldn't help Lance in any way at all as Lance laced his fingers with Shiro's hoping to distract the officer from the marks. 

"We'll talk later." Lance promised, spying the suits and wondering if they were also the FBI like that Pidgeotto person. With one last nod and a hesitant kiss to the brows, Shiro left Lance, dealing with his job one last time for the evening hopefully and reunite with Lance later.

 

                                                                                       *********

 

It was hours before Lance and Shiro were finally alone. They were standing in Lance's kitchen, mostly just reflecting on the past hour and half of officers escorting the notorious Ryu Kurogane away with a few EMT's and Pidge barking orders left and right before they ultimately left.

Now that it was just the two of them, suddenly it felt like years had passed between them since they had the fight. Shiro subtly watched as Lance fidgeted in place with his mug of coffee, staring into space so forlorn it made Shiro's heart clench at the sight of it.

"Lance?" He watched his boyfriend perk up, turning to give him a curious look that had the words he'd been wanting to say since their fight come pouring out,

"I'm sorry..for everything, what I said and for ruining your Halloween. I shouldn't have lost my temper with you like that when I knew you were looking forward to tonight. If I had just taken the day off like I was supposed to, none of this would've happened." Shiro apologized as he reached forth and rubbed a comforting hand down Lance's arm.

Lance sighed, putting his second cup of coffee down as he fixed Shiro with a pointed look. "Shiro none of this was your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault but Kuro's. Look, I felt really bad what I said during our fight too, it was stupid and childish. You have a job and a duty to uphold the law and keep the civilians, like me, safe. I realize that now and if we have to spend some time apart because of our jobs, we'll deal with it like adults." Lance stated, switching their roles as he began massaging the tension away from Shiro's shoulders.

"Besides, before we had our fight I ran into Kuro at Sal's and I think I gave him the idea to impersonate you which..started this whole mess." Lance flushed feeling incredibly guilty and annoyed at himself for allowing such a person like Kuro to easily take advantage of him and Shiro. Shiro shook his head, wanting to comfort Lance, tell him that it wasn't his fault, but Lance started launching into an explanation of their meeting at Sal's and what happened after. By the time he was finished, Shiro's all too familiar frown was back on his face, obviously displeased that this criminal had tried to smooch his boyfriend despite his protests.

"God, I just want to punch him again." Shiro admitted. Lance gaped at first, before giggling just a bit, in disbelief as Shiro gazed at him surprised.

"What?" He asked, a bit offended as Lance waved him off.

"No no I'm sorry, it's just, you don't usually punch people. Should I be concerned? Are you also some evil, mean Shiro, come to have your evil way with me too?!" Lance swooned, playing the act up a bit as he fell forward into Shiro's arms, humming as the officer dutifully caught him, holding him in his strong arms. Shiro gazed down at him with fond amusement as he carried Lance over to the couch, happily sitting down with Lance splayed over his lap.

"Have you been watching your mom's soaps again?" Shiro asked, teasing a little as Lance sat up, adjusting his cat ears before answering.

"Maybe..it's just..Christine hasn't located her family's secret treasure, and Josh just proposed to his ex-wife's, best friend Tiffany! I can't quit the show now!" Lance defended, drawing a chuckle from the officer who hummed before leaning over and planting a kiss against Lance's temple.

"What do you say we watch a few episodes then, get me caught up." Shiro asked, smiling as Lance blushed before nodding, happy he was going to celebrate Halloween with his boyfriend just like he planned after all! Of course, there was still alot to talk about regarding what happened, but the important thing was, they were both safe, unharmed, and thankfully at peace with each other. 

Two hours of cuddling, reassuring kisses, and weeping soaps later, Lance, still in his Catman costume turned to face Shiro, pawing at his uniform shirt with interest.

"So these cat ears do anything for ya?" He asked cheekily, watching as Shiro flushed all over before slapping a palm over his face.

"Okay Halloween is over. Good night Lance."

"Wait, where are you going? Takashi! Wait!"

 

                                                                                    ***One Year Later***

 

Lance hummed as he danced throughout the apartment listening to Halloween themed music. So far, since they've lived together, Lance hadn't had any regrets. They had to compromise on certain things, like Lance wanting to adopt two cats, one for each of them, while Shiro only wanted to start out with one. 

Of course, he couldn't say no to their cute, little faces after all and sure enough, like Lance planned, they wound up adopting two cats, named Black and Blue.

He adjusted the cat ears on his head once again, his idea to wear last years Halloween costumes had been a surprise to Shiro, figuring they would hold bad memories in Lance's heart but it was because they were associated with such a negative event, Lance enforced they wear them and make good memories! Thankfully with his new paycheck, he could afford better quality costumes! Singing for Lotor's nightclub had been nice, but singing for a better fancier nightclub run by a miss Allura Altea had been much nicer! 

Lance's humming turned to singing as he shook his booty, even picking up his darling Blue who meowed pleasantly, snuggling against her owner as he cooed soft lyrics to her as Black watched from her cat tower, tail flicking back and forth with mild interest in the scene. While she tolerated Lance and Blue's more affectionate nature, she was definitely as stoic and serious as Shiro could be, but that didn't mean she wasn't down for a good snuggle session every once in a while.

Lance placed Blue down on the cat tower next to her sister, petting her softly before sashaying away to the beat, his cat tail mesmerizing the cats as they watched the tail swing back and forth.

Lance strolled about, cleaning up quickly before they left to go to the ball. It was the city's annual Emergency Services Ball, honoring the city's dedicated police force, firefighters, paramedics and other safety related services. This was probably the second fanciest event of his life, aside from his cousin's wedding at Varadero Beach. This year, the event fell on Halloween and as such, the party planners thought it would be fun to see everyone arrive in full costume.

Lance checked himself over in the hall mirror again real quick, not a hair or cat claw out of place, before flicking the mask on and giving his best kitty purr he could manage.

"Lance?"

"Out here!" Lance called, fixing the annoying cowlick that refused to stay down, no matter how much he gelled it. His wonderful boyfriend strolled in, looking every bit as serious and handsome as the Caped Crusader, his cape fluttering behind him but the cowl remaining off for now. Lance gave an appreciative hum as he glided over to Shiro, sliding into his boyfriend's arms and giving him a slow, relaxed kiss on the lips.

"Are you off to stop crime again, Batman?" Lance teased, giggling at the amused snort he received as his boyfriend pulled him into an embrace, ducking his head to give him more kisses.

"Only if you're there of course." He teased back. They parted with a kiss, Shiro softly smiling at him before walking away to finish getting ready. Lance's gaze followed after him, a little lovesick but he couldn't help it. He was so in love with this man, and yeah it's been close to two years officially since they knew each other and started dating, but Lance felt like he's known Shiro his whole life.

Sighing happily, Lance made his way into the kitchen, rummaging through the mail they hadn't opened yet, wondering if Shiro would be up for stopping for some tacos after the ball when he spotted a little white envelope, unaddressed. Curious, Lance slid the envelope open, even more confused when a slightly ratty Halloween card slid out. Lance glanced towards the bedroom to see if Shiro had come back but when he heard the low, cheery whistling tune he doubted Shiro would be back anytime soon.

Lance gazed upon the card, careful when the edges easily folded in. It was definitely an older card, the faded coloring being the ultimate clue and its very simple and bland cartoon of a witch and ghost being scared by each other. Lance hummed opening the card and reading the small message provided. As he read along, his heart slowed to a stop, his eyes widening at the small but powerful message that had Lance's knees shaking and wanting to throw up.

"Sh-Shiro? Shiro!" Lance dropped the card, rushing to get his boyfriend immediately to tell him what he received as the card fell flat on the counter, laid out for all to see with a message that plainly said;

'Happy Halloween Sweetheart' followed by a lion's paw print in black.

 

                                                                                                    _ **The End.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all once again for giving this a shot, I've enjoyed writing this and the adventures of Shiro and Lance in this au! Sorry for that slight cliffhanger in the end, I couldn't resist, just know that Lance and Shiro live happy lives with their wonderful kitties and continue to have crazy fun adventures with each other! 
> 
> Edit: Haha just kidding, this isn't the end after all :)
> 
> Also if you'd like to tell me your favorite parts about the story, let me know in the comments! Also my awesome best friend made fanart of Batman Shiro and Catman Lance if you'd like to take a look [here](https://angry-goblin-draws.tumblr.com/post/179779586524/for-psychicscavenger)and [here](https://angry-goblin-draws.tumblr.com/post/179809069894/another-surprise-bonus-pic-for-psychicscavenger). I will admit, seing them in their costumes does get me inspired for another au...;)

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully this will be finished before Halloween...


End file.
